


Across Windows

by Greybin (TyunnieBFF)



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Anxiety, Bittersweet, Budding Love, Crying, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Growth, Hurt Huening Kai, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentioned Choi Beomgyu, Minor Character Death, Moving, Multi, Neighbors, Piano, Soft Kang Taehyun, Tyunning centric, Violins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:41:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29195484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyunnieBFF/pseuds/Greybin
Summary: Taehyun recently moved into this new neighborhood of Seoul, and apparently the neighbor's kid who lives across his window is super shy but plays piano like he could rival Beethoven himself. Hearing him play every night, how can Taehyun not be curious of him?This is a bittersweet journey of two boys dealing with the ever-changing flow of life and finding permanence in each other.
Relationships: Huening Kai/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 7
Kudos: 55





	Across Windows

With his elbow, Taehyun pushes open the door, a brief grunt escaping his lips while stumbling in as he searches the empty room.

The boy let his eyes trail from the ceiling all the way down to the wooden tile floors, the square bedroom is a little smaller than his old one back in Gwangju but supposed with how packed Seoul is, it's to be expected.

The boy sets the box he's holding down, taking a new view. Taehyun didn't have any problems with the move, he didn't mind it.

(Or so he thought)

It was only until he was a few kilometers from Seoul that the sudden craving for his birthplace emerged to crush him, but there was little he could say with his face on the car door searching out for the familiar scenery of the Gwangju's slopes and streets.

His father earns a promotion and they're out of their house and en route to Seoul by the end of said week, leaving his old house behind does not pose as an issue for him, a house is just a house.

But the realization he won't be seeing Mrs. Jeon watering her flowers every morning before cycling to school, or the kids a few houses down his own chatter and running down the pavement, playing in the afternoon.

It's knowing he'll soon enter a classroom and not recognize a single face and it's not Mr. Kim, his favorite coach who will be cheering him on during his track races.

Taehyun thought of cycling home and not passing by the neighborhood recreational park, no more buying tteokbokki at that one stall 10 minutes away from his house or going to the market on Hangeum street on Saturday mornings with his home to buy groceries.

It's leaving behind this old normality, the things he daily sees and experiences in Gwangju that saddens him the most.

Taehyun shakes his head and sighs, it is not the time to be regretting, regardless of how he felt they would've still moved.

Being upset or not about it won't change anything other than how worried his parents could've been, his nonchalance about their moving news back then saved the two from a great load of anxiety.

They did worry Taehyun might not like or even be against the idea so when the 15-year-old boy simply nodded and said _'Okay'_ at the big reveal during dinner, both parents were flooded with relief.

Taehyun is their only son and is like a treasure to them, so pretty much anything he says goes in the household yet that never spoiled the boy, if anything it's what drives Taehyun to be so dedicated and diligent in his academics and sports.

The boy combs through his orange hair with his fingers, he steps out of his bedroom and down the stairs to keep helping out with the move.

They did have two moving van men helping them move what little possession they have into the house.

It's a home that is technically located in a neighborhood at the teetering edge of Seoul rather than the actual city center itself, a two storey terrace with two bedrooms.

"Taehyunnie! Are you still carrying stuff? Come and meet Mrs. Huening first" his mother calls him, from the living room.

The boy makes his way over to see a middle-aged woman next to his mother, her kind face wearing an even kinder smile at him, Taehyun respectfully greets her.

"Wow you are quite handsome! How old are you Taehyun?" she asks him, there's a slitting accent in her words despite looking like she is perfectly Korean.

"I'm 15, 16 by next month." he answers confidently, he watches as the woman's face brightens up with the information.

"Oh! I have a son just your age, although he can be really shy so it might take a while for him to be able to meet you…" she supplies, nervously laughing right after.

"Oh it's fine, we won't be going anywhere anytime soon I'm sure they'll be great friends," his mother remarks, one of her hands patting his back.

Taehyun however is a bit disappointed to hear such news, lips slightly pouting but does not say a word. He is really close to his old neighbor, a quirky loud boy that goes by Choi Beomgyu who is always so fun to hang out with.

Taehyun excuses himself to keep unpacking and moving things, he had been determined hours ago in the car that he could set up his new bedroom by himself, bed set, study desk, and all.

He's done a few craftworks with wood and such back in his old school, putting together Ikea furniture shouldn't be that different.

So with his head stuck in the manuals, a few dozen bags of screws and nails laid where he could see them, Taehyun worked in his room for hours.

However, every so often the boy couldn't help but stand up and dart about around the room, oddly he senses like someone has been watching him.

Each time he has his body bend over some part of the wood he would feel a burning stare on him and it's annoying him.

Once he managed to build his bed first, he stood up on his feet, dust away the bits of dust on his pants, and looked around the room.

The orange-haired boy peers at the window just right above his bed frame, leaning closer to get a closer look, it's exactly facing the window of the other house next to his.

If Taehyun hadn't known any better, it'll take one big stretch of legs and a whole human could cross and enter the other's window with how close they are.

The window opposite is currently closed and covered with curtains, but……. wasn't it open moments ago? Taehyun wasn't paying attention but he firmly believes he would've noticed the obvious blur of red curtains before if that had really been there.

Has someone been stalking him from next door this whole time?

The boy shudders at the thought, beginning to feel disturbed about the implications of such ordeal.

He opts to fix on the curtains first before going to work on his desk, there's no way he's going to work peacefully while knowing someone is watching his every move.

Whoever is there, and if they were stalking him, is a creep.

"So how is it?" his father questions him at dinner, most of their personal belongings are unpacked but the family decided to work on the living room and kitchen together the next day.

Taehyun shrugs "Fine, I guess. Do the Huenings live next door?" He remembers the weird feeling of being watched from the day.

It still makes his skin crawl thinking about it, Taehyun swallows the growing lump in his throat, it's probably nothing but still very unsettling.

Their neighbors couldn't possibly be housing some sort of mass murder looking for a victim that may or may not be a young boy like him right?

In more ways than one, the idea is far-fetched, but he's not the one not to believe that all these things can't be possible, even as ludicrous as it might sound.

"Yeah, they invite us over lunch tomorrow. How sweet of them" his mother comments, seemingly sounding happy to already form great ties with their new neighbors.

Taehyun nods along, he should just forget about the potential stalker thing, he has better things to think about anyway.

In that sense, Taehyun is referring to the new school's syllabus, schedules, and interior layout because he is not about to get lost on his first day.

"Oh Taehyunnie, Mrs. Huening said Hanlim has great music classes, you could pick up Violin again if you want to" his mother suddenly speaks up.

The boy hums at the information, he isn't really too keen on continuing with his lessons on said instrument, he learned to play Violin for a little while until the only teacher in his district moved away. He had stopped then and the violin he owns was rarely touched since.

Taehyun was never that interested in learning it to begin with "I'll think about it"

That night he topples onto his new bed with an exhausted breath escaping his lips, his parents are still awake downstairs but he's already too drained to stick around and keep up with the interactions.

The boy lay unphased on his bunk, his face completely blank, staring up at the wall submerged in his thoughts. He might be able to figure out who was watching him just now by having lunch with his neighbors tomorrow.

His own curtain remains pulled over the window, and for most of the time, he's sure it'll stay that way.

The boy yawns but can't get himself to fall asleep, heart too restless and mind too loud with his thoughts running a mile per hour.

He's tired but his conscience refuses to let him sleep, with that Taehyun does what he always does in situations like this.

Grabs a book and reads till he sleeps, which might take a while.

He sits nestled by his pillows and blanket on the bed, deeply immersed in his reading until something breaks the silence in the room.

It's not too faint, just audible enough that he could clearly hear it although he doubts that his parents could, it's soft and elegant that it bounces in the air gracefully.

 _'Piano?'_ his head registers the tune, setting his book down to pay attention to the notes.

It's very beautiful, even by the sound of it he can tell the player is really talented and skilled. His mind could almost picture out the image of slender hands dancing on the black and white tiles ever so fluidly.

Taehyun could tell it isn't a recording because as he listens, he could detect a mistake here and there, barely noticeable but as someone who did once tried learning music as well, he could tell. Minimal mistakes, but it goes to show how the pianist must really be practicing hard.

Taehyun tries to find the source of the music, stepping out of his bed he slowly pads towards where the sound was coming from only to end up on his bed again with his frame hovering in front of his curtain covered window.

Someone at the Huenings? And possibly the one stalking him this morning as well.

Taehyun reaches for the fabric, then hesitates, unsure if he really wants to know who from the other side is the one playing. But he's dead curious as to who it could be because they played so well too.

Taehyun carefully sneaks a glance without actually pulling aside his curtain, and lo and behold, the window opposite to his is opened, red curtains pulled aside.

He could make out a figure, a tall boy sitting in front of what had to be his piano in his room. His soft brown hair is tangled and messy but Taehyun could see the focused look in his eyes as he kept playing.

Suddenly the memory of Mrs. Huening saying she has a son his age returns to the center of his mind, Taehyun squints harder from between the curtains to get a better look.

The boy looks young enough to be his age but unlike Taehyun, does not show any indicator he feels Taehyun's gaze on him.

In fact, he looks so deeply absorbed in his piano playing that even if Taehyun had opened his curtain to begin looking at him, he might not have come to realize it.

Mystery pianist is sitting while not facing the window pane and quite a distant distance from it as well, so Taehyun can't clearly make out his face.

Upon realizing what he is doing, the boy shoves himself backward and onto the bed with a shake of his head.

For god's sake, why was he stalking the neighbor's shy kid?

Taehyun shakes his head and settles back down into his bed, the pianist next door is still going at it although the clock shows it’s almost midnight.

Taehyun tucks away his books and settles into his bed, he should try to sleep now as it is getting late.

The sound of piano keys in the air ironically is soothing his mind to ease, certainly, the boy is able to drift asleep moments later, lulled by the melody of piano coming from the unaware boy next door.

_

The Huenings are a warm bunch, the Kangs were greeted at the door by their eldest daughter who welcomes them in with a friendly smile.

The father himself is a fairly tall man with a big smile, that's when Taehyun learns the family actually migrated to Korea only 3 years ago, the mother herself although a pure Korean was raised in the states.

At the table, Taehyun meets Leah and Bahiyyih Huening, their two daughters but no sign of said son or the boy he saw playing the piano prior that night. Somehow that is frankly more disappointing than what would be polite for him to utter out loud.

"Our son Kai has piano lessons right now sadly so he can't join us this time" The mother must have caught on to Taehyun's wandering eyes, "I see you're eager to meet him Taehyun?" the said boy laughs embarrassedly.

"My former neighbor friend was a year older so this is the first time I had someone my age as my neighbor, was I too enthusiastic?" he explains, hands scratching his nape.

The woman laughs "It's quite alright, Kai can be a lot shy so I hope you don't mind being patient with him"

They left shortly after the lunch, he actually finds himself befriending the girls rather easily as they were very open and outgoing, Leah, the eldest who is three years older than him, told him she is officially adopting Taehyun as her second younger brother and they even have a group chat together now.

She even added her boyfriend in the group chat and Taehyun quote "We need a father figure", it's some guy named Choi Yeonjun and now his phone would blow up every now and then because the Yeonjun dude is a chatterbox, but the conversations a goofy and fun so Taehyun takes that as a plus.

He asked why she hadn't added Kai in as well and was told her brother isn't too keen on being added to random group chats suddenly, especially with strangers in it.

This feat is again, sort of disappointing, Taehyun couldn't comprehend why but his curiosity for the said Huening is getting a little overwhelming.

He just wants to know the kid, drawn to the mystery surrounding him, but it's like the universe is doing all it can to not let them meet.

Defeated, he tries to ignore the nagging voice of his thoughts and prepares for school the next day.

Taehyun however would peek in the group chat every now and then, although it's mostly idle conversations, it is entertaining to see the couple in said chat gush about this one boy they both have a crush on from their school.

**Huening sisters ft cool bois**

Leah:

HE texted ME YALL ;A;

SOOBIN TEXTED ME !! LEAH FIRST WIN?!?

Yeonjun:

He called me tho

(￣y▽,￣)╭

Leah:

Bitch let me win for once?

Yeonjun:

But i want to be his boyfriend

Leah:

And I want to be his girlfriend too

Ur not special

Bahiyyih:

Get married

Me:

Lol

All of them go to Hanlim and Yeonjun even promised to show him around on his first day, two days in and Taehyun already feels himself fitting in with his new neighbors and friends, the new life in Seoul coming to him easily.

Maybe this isn't such a bad thing, and he's going to meet Kai sooner or later.

That night, laid in his bed, Taehyun is about to go asleep because he can't sleep in on his first day but the boy finds himself waiting.

It's a theory he formed, the pianist might not realize his new neighbors, especially the one with the room across his own can hear him play.

And as he predicted, he hears the piano again, a different, much slower yet stronger tune tonight. The notes flow with elegance, he's hearing a lot of major chords in this song, powerful and passionate but beautiful all the same.

Taehyun grins to himself, listening to the tune, it sounds nice, what are the odds that he'll get to sleep to the melody of piano every night manually played by his neighbor next door.

Taehyun slowly feels his eyes droop and falls asleep, an image of a boy with brown hair playing the piano lingers in his mind before fading to nothing.

_

Fitting in school turned out to be a lot easier than he would have thought so, the Hanlim students are all thrilled to welcome him and everyone is really nice so far.

He got a little tour of the school by a senior named Choi Soobin, and right after said tour he got bombarded by the couple who were pining after said boy, asking him if his cheeks were as squishy as they seem or if his eyes sparkled when he smiles.

He doesn't quite understand it but as long as he nods a yes at each question, they'll be satisfied so Taehyun entertains them.

But a week has passed and he has yet to meet the mystery middle child Huening, he doesn't show up during lunch and neither could Taehyun catch him after school dismissal.

Oddly, he doesn't run into Kai at school at all.

Yet every night, when he opens his thick biology textbook to run through the topics he learned during the day and make notes, he is always accompanied by soft tunes of piano from across the window.

The pianist loves to practice his pieces late at night up until midnight, filling the solitude air of Taehyun's room with melodies as he does his daily study sessions.

Taehyun doesn't mind the free background music, in fact, he notices he studies better with it. He's less likely to get stressed and is more relaxed with the piano playing, and most of all, it feels like he had company during his nightly sessions.

Like someone nearby is staying up to keep him company.

There's always some sort of inkling of wanting to just rip open his curtains and call out to his extremely shy neighbor next door, wanting to know what he looks like when his fingers dance so skillfully on his keyboard piano.

Does he wear a soft gaze or is as sharp as how one can look when focused? Could he play any classic pieces rather than just the few specific ones that he kept replaying these few nights?

What does he look like, is this person as pretty as the music he plays?

There are so many questions in his head with the thirst to know the answer but he knows he shouldn't, because Taehyun doesn't want to scare him away before they could even properly meet.

But Taehyun really wishes he could communicate with him somehow.

He lays his head on the book he is reading and begins to wonder if there is a possible way to interact with his mystery neighbor. His eyes roam around the room until it spots the untouched violin case resting next to his drawer.

Taehyun gives it a few seconds to contemplate the idea, but couldn't really find anything wrong with it. At most, his pianist will just know all this time, he had an audience.

An audience of one boy who loves burning the midnight oil to study but an audience nonetheless.

He drags his body up from the seat of his desk and goes to pick up the discarded violin case, wiping the gathered dust with his fingertips.

Taehyun takes the instrument out, carefully carrying it in his grasp.

Taehyun places the violin under his chin and sets the bowstring in place, but he's still not playing. After all, it's been a while since he played, and perhaps even but he also wonders if he can still recall how to play a simple melody.

The boy shakes his head and braces himself determinedly _'Screw it, let's just do this'_ he thought and begins to drag the violin's bowstring, the simple tune of _'Ode To You Joy'_ fills the room, one of the few songs he still remembers how to play.

Taehyun listens carefully as the piano melody stops playing abruptly while the notes of his violin take over.

On the other side, it's much quieter now, the boy wondering if he could have really scared his neighbor away anyway.

But soon the piano melodies return once more, this time playing along to the tune he is playing. The pianist easily keeps pace with Taehyun's very amateur violin playing, and he gets so excited that he keeps dragging the bowstring, moving into a new tune after another.

Each time he plays a new tune, Taehyun notes the little delay, but in an instant, the pianist catches up expertly, soon the piano and violin melodies blend together in the air.

They keep playing together and creating music in the dead of the night, down to the very last note of the very last song that Taehyun could play.

The boy plops down on his bed, breathing out his breath while feeling the rush in his chest.

He hears the silence on the other side and giggles to himself, it's almost like a silent agreement that they should call it a day.

Taehyun goes to sleep that night with a satisfied smile on his face, feeling accomplished because, after a week of moving in, he finally has some kind of interaction with his mysterious neighbor from across his window.

He has made progress, and that's all that matters.

The next day he brings his violin to school so that he can sign up for any violin lessons, Taehyun wants to get closer to his enigma of a neighbor, so if it's through the violin and late-night two-person playoffs, so be it.

Taehyun has no idea why he's so desperate to get to know Kai, he's clinging to anything he could get out of the boy, for in his heart he feels like this guy is kind of special.

It's interesting, Taehyun has yet to meet him properly, he has no idea what he looks like, except that his hair is brown and fluffy, and that his piano skills could match up to Beethoven.

It's almost like a mission to uncover a secret of the world.

And Taehyun, being the ever so curiosity-driven person he is, loves mystery and adventures.

So he wants to pick up learning violin again. He is filling some forms in the music room, and as fills in the details he notices a kid across the room playing a piano with his back against him.

Taehyun hums along, thinking that he plays really beautifully. But he is immediately struck with a realization, the song, this melody, he's heard it before.

He's heard it so many times over the course of the week that Taehyun could recognize the specific melody anywhere.

He darts his gaze at the boy on the upright piano seat, tall with brown fluffy hair.

"Huening Kai?"

His voice slips the name out loud, the boy playing the piano freezes at the mention of the name, his fingers coming to a sudden halt. Suddenly he gets up and frantically runs out of the room in an instant without looking back.

Taehyun chases after him but he is late to catch him due to his late reaction towards the other's sudden sprint.

Taehyun pants, looking around the hallways where students keep walking on their way as if nothing happened, but Taehyun is sure Kai rushes this way.

The boy frowns and returns to the music room. That's odd, why did he run away?

**Leah Noona**

Noona, is Kai really this shy?

He ran away when I accidentally saw him in the music room today…..

Oh you did?

Yeah he is (´-﹏-`；)

He was always really shy

Especially after getting in middle school

If you don't mind me asking

Why?

No clue

Now me and Bahiyyih are all he has

That's why mom was so happy when you moved in

She thought Kai would finally have a real friend

But is supposed it'll be useless unless Kai lets himself open up to you

I see

He's an amazing pianist

Huh (・o・)

How do you know?

Our rooms are opposite of each other's

And he plays it almost every night

REALLY?!?

He never plays for anyone other than his family members !!

So it's awesome that you've heard him play

Wow

Hopefully you two can be friends (ʃƪ＾3＾）

Yeah I hope so too

And so the days go on like that, with Kai playing the piano almost daily and occasionally, Taehyun would join in with his violin as well but otherwise, he would just listen to the other playing as he studies, glad that although Kai knows he is listening, he doesn't break this only contact they have with each other.

It's oddly unique, they're both connected by the way both would sleep late and accompany each other into the late night.

However, 2 months later, Taehyun notices that Kai doesn't play for 2 days, and the day after that and the day after that.

The boy becomes worried since he doesn't see Kai at all at school, so he doesn't know what is wrong with the other, and asking his sisters seems intruding as the two of them are not exactly friends yet.

Taehyun honestly doesn't know what they are.

So Taehyun takes it upon himself to go visit next door, it's not weird at all, after all, he's just being concerned for his neighbor.

Least to say, Mrs. Huening is surprised to see him at their doorstep, draped in his oversized hoodie along with a packet of cookies in his hands looking at her sheepishly with a smile.

"Taehyun? What a surprise…?" she lets him in regardless.

"Um I was wondering, is Kai okay?" he questions "I always listen to him playing piano at night but he's never skipped four nights simultaneously before"

It sounded a lot less weird in his head, wanting to take it back someway because did he really just admit to listening Kai play piano at night almost every day to his mother who is very aware they never met yet?

Taehyun's been making lots of questionable decisions ever since he moved, curse the curious cat in him for it, and this unexplainable growing attachment to the boy who lives across his room.

There's a wash of realization on her face and she proceeds to smile warmly at him, surprisingly isn't bothered by it. The woman then explains to Taehyun that Kai got a harsh fever and had to lay off his nightly practices for a few days.

In fact, she is quite endeared that while Taehyun has yet to meet Kai, he still cares.

"You know sweetie, would you like to see him?" Taehyun nods almost too eagerly, this is it, he's meeting him.

"Yes please"

The woman leads him up the stairs with Taehyun tailing her, "Kai sweetie there's someone here that would like to meet you" there's no answer coming from the other side, the lady sighs.

"Do be patient, he takes a while to open up" she informs him once more before twisting the knob and beckons Taehyun to step in.

There's definitely someone inside, laying on the single bed bundled up in blankets and plushies with his back against the door frame.

"Kai ah, please say hello at least okay? I'll go get some snacks" the mother says.

Taehyun awkwardly stands by the entrance, the figure on the bed hardly moves to greet him.

"Um...hi? May I... come in?" he tries to avert his gaze somewhere else; he sees the upright piano lined up the wall opposite the bed, a wardrobe and study desk, the usual bedroom furnishings.

There are also the red curtains hanging over the windowpane, the one he is very familiar with although it's a different feeling to be on this side of it considering he's always been the one looking from the other side.

There's a bit of shuffling on the bed, the boy finally moving. He sits up and reveals the brown lushes on his head that Taehyun associates him with, he keeps his gaze locked to the stuffies on his bed, Taehyun could see he has one particularly big one hugged close to his chest.

"Y-you can come in" he stammers loud enough for Taehyun to hear, but Taehyun can tell he's doing it out of obligation since Taehyun did come to visit him but he really doesn't really want to.

Maybe Taehyun can change that.

Stepping in and getting a closer look, the boy finally can get a clear image of his mystery neighbor. Kai has soft yet defined features, being mixed, he has some resemblance of his dad's race along with his mother's origins.

Or in simple terms, Huening Kai is really handsome, way more handsome than Taehyun had expected.

And no, he will not be explaining why he had an expectation, just as how he will not be explaining why he's eager to meet Kai or the bubbling excitement contained in him now that they're finally meeting.

"Hi I'm Kang Taehyun, your neighbor" Kai doesn't answer him, still avoiding his gaze. Shyness doesn't even begin to be it; he looks fearful to even glance over.

There's a bit of a missing puzzle piece here, nobody is this, dare he say, terrified of meeting someone new without reason.

Kai nods, but only barely. "You play well, the piano I mean. It's very beautiful" that however invokes a reaction, the boy on the bed suddenly whips his head up and stares at Taehyun with shock.

"H-how…?" his widen orbs frantically shaking, Taehyun didn't mean to startle him so he quickly jumped in to explain, he thought the other boy knew?

"My room is right across your window, so whenever you play, I can hear it. I was the one playing the violin sometimes! You didn't play for days so I got worried…." he waits for Kai to take in his words, his own heart tipping on an edge at that moment.

The boy visibly relaxes and even keeps his gaze on Taehyun.

That's a start.

"You…. you’re the one playing the violin?" he slowly asks, uncertainty with each word. Taehyun nods while laughing nervously, he is but an amateur with it.

"I try to…... I'm gonna take lessons again" he adds and pauses when the sick (oh yeah, Taehyun forgot he is sick) boy chuckles quietly.

"You play nice too" Kai mumbles and Taehyun feels his heart flipping at the shy smile on his lips. The compliment flying over his head entirely because it's adorable, the bashful face trying to hide behind his plushie, the reddened cheeks.

That adorable little laugh that chimes like what can only be described as heaven bells, a beauty that rivals the piano pieces he plays.

Maybe Taehyun is exaggerating it in his head but if making a fool of himself can hear that sweet heavenly sound again, he'll do it again in a heartbeat.

"I'm…. Kai, Huening Kai"

The boy finally moves to face Taehyun properly, the light pink pajamas he's wearing finally showing. Even sitting, Taehyun can tell he's tall, much taller than he is yet he feels so small.

Taehyun takes a few careful steps forward, smiling at the boy warmly. He doesn't try to reach out to touch him, quite certain they're not there yet, maybe in a near future.

Taehyun doesn't know if it's the rush of uncovering a wonder he's been curious about or the innocent twinkle in Kai's shy eyes, or maybe even how his smile although small lightens up the room, how it very peculiarly makes Taehyun's own heart skip a few beats.

"Glad to finally meet you, Kai"

_

Their friendship is a slow progress, when they said Kai is super shy, they weren't kidding.

Turns out Kai always runs off on his own at school, not really mingling with his peers. Even his interactions with his siblings are limited to a few exchanges of words, Kai taking the whole _'I don't talk much'_ to a whole new level.

He gets fidgety when talking and wouldn't be caught dead being the one to initiate the conversation, his entire body language screams past trauma with relationships which now evolves to this mess ball of anxiety and jumpiness around people.

The boy built a wall so mighty and tall around him that it's a wonder how Taehyun even managed to breach that barrier, and even going as far as to slip into the cracks of Kai's fragile trust towards people, reaching deep into him where not even his family could.

But Taehyun has never prompted him to spill, if Kai wants to, he will do it himself and if he doesn't Taehyun won't pry it out of him.

"You're getting better" the taller boy comments, Taehyun smirks with his hand dragging the bowstring, keeping pace with the boy's fingers on the piano.

He learns some time over the few months they've been friends that Kai can actually play all sorts of instruments, he just preferred the piano.

"I have a great teacher" Taehyun replies just as he missed two notes, which garners a laugh from the taller boy sitting on the piano seat.

It's only the two of them in the music room after school hours, Taehyun sighs and places down his instrument while Kai continues to play.

"It's a shame you don't do performances, people would pay to hear you play" Taehyun comments, sitting next to Kai where the boy had scooted over.

He gently lays his head on Kai's tensing shoulder, resting his head against the boy, and smiles silently to himself when he feels the boy relaxing.

Being one of the few individuals that can touch Kai without him flinching away is something he has pride in, glad that Kai trusts him that much.

"You think so?" Taehyun hums at the boy, Kai suddenly stops playing, his fingers halting on the keys abruptly.

Taehyun's newly dyed blond hair is a contrast against the dark jacket Kai wears over their Hanlim uniforms, the boy looks up to see Kai deep in his thoughts.

"Should I…...should I try entering that competition next month?" The question catches him off guard, Kai although a great pianist would never perform in front of anyone other than his family, Taehyun is a special exception.

But knowing just how many people would see how amazing he is, Taehyun is more than ready to encourage the boy with this decision "Definitely, everyone would be blown away! I know I do every night"

Kai's cheeks blush hues of pink by the praise, they still continue their late-night music playing endeavors, the difference now is that both windows are thrown wide open with both of them looking over at the other every now and then, locking gazes that sometimes Kai's hand slips over a few notes.

He can't help it, especially when the sight of Taehyun with his sharp gaze on his books sometimes just feels a waste to look away from.

There's no denying his neighbor has the looks to entrance any eyes that lay upon him, but Kai also learns to grow fond of the boy.

It's hard not to because how can someone so amazing as Taehyun exist? Who would patiently take one tiny step at a time to get to know him, won't bat an eye when he couldn't form words at times,

Yes, he is charming in ways that never fail to swoon Kai but Taehyun is also a comforting presence, he found a safe space in the form of a blonde boy from next door.

"I guess I'll join then" Kai announces rather shyly but his cheeks heat up a notch when Taehyun throws his arms around him.

"I know you'll do great!! I promise I'll be there front and center to cheer you on Kai!"

**Leah Noona**

WHAT KIND OF SORCERY

KANG TAEHYUN BE HONEST

ARE YOU A WIZARD

I wished

But pls enlighten me why the sudden thought

YOU

YOU CONVINCED MY BROTHER

THAT SHY NERVOUS MESS

TO ENTER A PIANO PLAYING COMPETITION

Technically I just said it's a shame that not everyone gets to hear him play

The whole entering idea is all him

I just give him the last push forward

HOW

WHAT EVEN

HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!

WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BROTHER

and can u keep doing it cuz

My mom is near tears

Oh wait no she crying rn

cuz Kai

KAI HAS NEVER—

wow

I

I don't what to say other than thank you

Thank you for helping Kai to find courage

Like I said, it's him who suggested it

That's insane

Ur insane

"It's getting late, still at it?" Taehyun yawns, he has already tidied up his study materials but notices Kai is still steady on the piano.

"Gotta practice more, competition….." The new eagerness is a development but Taehyun doesn't want Kai to be working himself up too much.

"It's okay if you don't win you know? It's already a huge step that you're willing to perform in front of an audience" Taehyun tells him, boy perching by the window pane, watching Kai's focused gaze on the monochrome tiles.

The moon is high up in the glittery sky, it's around 2am and neither are sleeping yet despite having school tomorrow.

"I don't want to regret it…. like last time" he whispers the last part to himself, shuddering as he remembers the memory.

A forlorn shard of memory from long ago, one that he still finds it hard to forget, not that it is possible.

Things that hurt too deeply like that, there just some things that life would never allow one to forget. It prowls in your head from time to time, a reminder that you'll never escape its claws.

"But Kai, you need to rest too," Taehyun nags some more, a concerned frown on his face at the usual behavior from the other boy.

Kai sighs, his finger coming to a halt but only resuming seconds later "I will…. in a bit"

Taehyun scoffs, unamused at the dismissal. His own head aching with tiredness yet the boy can't bring himself to sleep with the knowledge that Kai still isn't.

But a sudden idea pops into his head after a yawn, it's a crazy idea, one that Taehyun is sure is a concluded decision of his sleep-deprived headspace.

Can't say he's any saner than a coffee derived high school teacher on a busy Monday in such a state.

Even with his head throttling with sleep calling, the blonde boy still manages to heave his lithe body up and carefully latch onto the window frame, his hands gripping it tight to carefully balance and prepare himself for what he's about to do.

It's the sleepiness, there's no way perfectly functioning Taehyun would even try to attempt this reckless 2am idea.

Because jumping over to your neighbor's house through an opposite opened window is not normal nor safe in any way.

His sudden movements and obvious intention do not go unnoticed by Kai, who by then has stopped playing the piano, eye and mouth dropping with alarm, body on his feet with urgency and it takes him three huge strides of his legs to reach his bedroom window.

"Taehyun, what are you doing?!" voice high with worry as he watches the smaller boy, all but stretches out his leg to reach for Kai's window.

 _'Don't fall don't fall don't fall'_ Taehyun chants in his head, palms slightly sweating with the newly registered nervousness.

He hoists his body over to the other side with extra force from his momentum, he has to lean forward and hope to god he doesn't fall in between the few seconds in mid-air jump he has to make.

Taehyun yelps as his body all but crashes into the open window and onto Kai, grimacing when he feels the taller boy moaning a pained grunt.

The pianist's heart is beating ruthlessly with each movement the other made, spikes of worry arose and with bated breath he watched Taehyun pull such a dangerous stunt, but the other made it over, in one piece.

He stands close enough to capture the blonde's flailing body into his embrace, clasping his arms around Taehyun's body securely.

The feel of another weight on his own brings him instant relief, Kai's racing mind that was diluted with fear for his friend slowly eases and disperse. He cradles Taehyun in his embrace, mouth slightly hanging agape with his breath puffing out harshly.

That was terrifying.

As much as the close distance between the two windows, it's still a big risky jump that could've gone fatally wrong. And if it weren't for Kai's own exhaustion mixed in with the sudden fright from Taehyun's reckless act, he would be chastising the other with no mercy spared by now.

The blonde boy now wrapped in his arms freezes at the action, a touch here and there is fine but never had Kai allowed him to hug him.

Yet here they are, at some ungodly hour past midnight, after Taehyun almost risked falling off his window, limbs around each other while kneeling on Kai's bedroom floor.

"Don't…... do that, ever, again"

Kai pauses with each word that spills from his mouth, hands still not letting go of his neighbor who is very much still shell-shocked in his arms.

Taehyun has his face pressed into Kai's shirt, the pianist's Downey conditioner scent on his clothing smells stronger up close like this, dominating his senses.

He could feel Kai's raging heartbeat with their chest pressed together, it thunders at an unsteady pace that is gradually simmering down.

Taehyun gulps and calms his own heart down before giving a reply, a shaky puff of "I'm okay"

He feels stupid, for driving his friend into such delirious worry at some crack ass of dawn. The blonde is in his own disbelief that he actually did that, but he wasn't thinking straight then, all he thought of is he needed to go to Kai.

He needs to make sure Kai gets the rest he needs because Kai looks awful, he plays but not with the brightness or joy that Taehyun knew.

There's a looming darkness that's been hanging over him ever since he signed up for that competition, it's almost as if he was punishing himself for something, and once again Taehyun is reminded of an annoying fact.

He doesn't know much about Kai as he'd like to think he does.

Yet even so, he can't hold onto his frustration or any other negative feelings clouding in his head. Not when he is wrapped in such a warm embrace.

Again, it feels different, to be hugged by someone that isn't his parents, Taehyun isn't that much of a hugger but he's been hugged multiple and countless times by friends and acquaintances alike, but none felt like the one he's in now.

There's a different kind of warmth, one that feels exhilarating as it is calming. It invokes a fluttering rush that tingles his insides, makes him want to squeal out with unexplained glee yet his vocal chords are rendered into a malfunctioning state.

Having Kai hold him so close and so, dare he say, dearly. There's nothing Taehyun could do other than to melt in his embrace, body curling into Kai's build to bask himself in the blissful warmth that sends sparks of euphoria all over his body, making his cheeks heat up pleasantly.

"You scared me" Kai whispers, shaky with fright, and Taehyun gets pulled back to reality.

A pang of guilt sinks into the pit of his stomach for not providing even a warning before taking off so dangerously, he acted so mindlessly, and that terrified Kai.

Taehyun's arms that are just hanging by his side finally come to life, reaching up to loop around Kai's torso, nose nuzzling into Kai's chest as he gently tugs them even closer.

He hears a small gasp from above and a quiet whimper. The smaller boy could only hope this is enough to compensate for the scare he gave to him, perhaps it's not even that big of a deal, maybe it's less likely for him to fall off the two storey height.

But they're both severely exhausted, it's too early in the morning, and they haven't gotten any sleep yet. As a result, all known emotions are dialed up to eleven.

Both couldn't explain the drive in them that's pushing them into doing this, but they chose to not question it, it did feel nice.

"I'm okay, just…. let’s go to sleep Kai? You must be tired..." and Kai agreed to it but without a single rebut.

The two boys untangle themselves from each other, reluctantly with their touches lingering, wanting to chase after the other's warmth again.

They rise from the floor to stand and the sight of Kai, clothes disheveled and face marred with tiredness, Taehyun has to hold back from throwing himself at the boy once more.

What went wrong with this? What is dragging Kai down so much that it's making the pianist drive himself into a brick wall so harshly?

But a sudden thought that struck Kai makes him immediately grab Taehyun's hand, clutching the smaller palms in his own with little to no attention of letting go, it catches Taehyun by surprise at the firm grip.

Kai terrifyingly glances at him "Don't…... cross…. back, just…...sleep with me?" he doesn't think his trembling mind could handle seeing Taehyun try to parkour between their windows for a second time that night, voice dripping with plead.

And there's no way the blonde could refuse, not when those orbs are looking at him so desperately. "Okay, I can I-I guess…. if you don't mind" he answers with a stammer.

The jump partially scared him too, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it again anyway.

"Do you have any extra mattress?" He asks while looking around, Kai with his hand still holding Taehyun's, shakes his head.

"My bed….is…. well...big enough...I think" he reasons, pink blooming on his cheeks that are still visible to the other boy even as his head whips away from Taehyun.

That's how the two boys, worn out completely by the ordeal from moments ago, are able to quickly drift away into a deep slumber, or at very least, one of them is able to.

Taehyun's small frame is huddling up to Kai, one of the other's smaller plushies locked in his arms. Kai himself has one arm cast around the other boy, keeping him close while his gaze is fixated on Taehyun's peacefully sleeping face.

There's a strange urge to run his hand through the mop of blonde in front of him, to feel the soft skin of his cheeks against his fingers, he wonders if it would feel electrifying as he imagined.

The pianist can't begin to comprehend his actions, what with his track record of isolating from human Interactions.

But Taehyun, just something about him that makes Kai want to latch on to him.

For once, he doesn't want to be far apart from someone, instead, he wants to cling on as closely as possible.

There was a time when Kai believed that everything around him is temporary, that the world doesn't work with permanence.

Everything, physical or not, time, possession, people, eventually everything comes to an end at some point. They always leave, and on most occasions, they never return and leave him grasping at nothing in the dust.

When you fear abandonment, it's only natural to feel scared of gaining things. Because the more you gain, the more you will lose.

Kai learned that the hard way, and he hid behind the defensive wall built out of betrayal and a hollowed void ever since.

Then, in came this ray of light in the name of Kang Taehyun.

For once, after so long of running and being afraid, after years of letting his own fears and past regrets haunt him.

Kai wants to fight for a permanence.

Because the boy in his arms, who puts cheese in anything he eats if possible, scrunches his nose when he hears a statement that he disagrees with, chants elements of the periodic table whenever he's bored just because he's able to.

The boy who was willing to pick up an instrument he's long-lost interest in learning just so he could have some form of connection or communication with Kai, who was at that time, nothing more than a mere anonymity who lives across his room window.

The same boy who makes his chest tighten with each smile thrown his way, whose laughter can reduce Kai into a bumbling flustering mess of red.

Taehyun, who all but strolled into his life in all his overachieving Asian walking stereotype glory, seamlessly fits himself into Kai's distorted puzzle picture like he was meant to be there all along.

Huening Kai, never in his 16 years of living, has ever wanted anything to be permanent so badly until he met Kang Taehyun.

Kai feels the boy stirs and buries his head deeper into his chest, making the taller boy's cheeks warm up.

"I hope you stay; I want you to stay…. I hope you never leave" he manages to mumble out before sleep consumes him.

_

_"Kai you think you're going to be **anything** the way you are right now?! Are you serious? I thought you wanted to make our dreams come true but it looks like you don't even care"_

_Kai's eyes watered, wildly shaking his head at the other's scowl. "That's not true! I'm trying...but.... I…. I.....I can't…. it's too hard…" he feels a pair of hands pushing him till his back hits a hard concrete._

_The clanking of multiple objects dropping to the floor echoes the room, the other figure looms over his trembling sitting frame, the traces of kindness and assurance in those eyes he once knew no longer there._

_"Is it now? So, you're just gonna break your promise?! Are you even my best friend anymore you liar!?" Kai clamps his eyes shut as silent tears drip down his face, restraining himself from the hiccupping._

_"I'm trying-"_

_"Well, you're not trying HARD ENOUGH!!"_

_He is cut off by a loud bang from the piano that he was playing on, his breath hitching from fear and the unprecedented sorrow of the accusations thrown._

_He did try his best, he has given up hours of sleep and even neglected some of his studies for it but there's just a limit he couldn't breach, he still couldn't play the piece perfectly._

_"You know what? Forget it, forget everything. We're done" the figure then proceeds to trot away, no remorse in his voice. "Don't even look my way Kai, actually, I don't even know who you are"_

_"N-no wait!! Please! Please Taemin! I-I can keep trying-" he please, scrambling up to his feet to chase after his best friend, or who believed to be his best friend._

_Who Kai unfortunately in his naivety had fallen in love with._

_Taemin, who was his first love at 13 years old, sat down next to him on the first day of middle school and is his best friend ever since._

_He dreamed to be a professional pianist and shared the dream with Kai, but only smiled bittersweetly when the one to receive the audition invitation to enter a famous music institution was Kai and not him._

_So, Kai swore to swoon the judging panel in the audition so he could keep their dream alive._

_And from there, it went downhill because Taemin finally showed he never cared about Kai, he just wanted to feel as though he was the one who got to audition._

_Their friendship barely lasted a year._

_"Don't even touch me, I don't know you"_

_On the very audition day, Kai couldn't play at all._

_What's left of that memory are just screams of accusations, lots of pained tears, disappointed faces, and a scar on his mind._

**_"You won't be anything"_ **

_And Kai, who locked himself inside a room behind the stage after freezing up in front of the panel of judges that pitifully sent him away when he proved he won't be able to play anything._

_Young, naive, and foolish Huening Kai…..._

_…...believed him._

"Wake up!! Kai! Kai wake up!"

Kai blinks his eyes open to a worried face hovering above his own, light yellow stands combed back with his fingers, Taehyun is staring down on his face, Kai's name spilling from lips repeatedly.

"Mmmhh….T... Taehyun?" He rubs his eyes, still feeling the drowsiness of insufficient sleep and rest still lingering.

Said boy's face eases with relief but remains where he is, giving Kai a perfect view of his face up close. He could almost count every eyelash down to the sprinkled dots on Taehyun's nose.

Every distinct feature of the boy just seems to focus sharply in his vision, so before he could even hold his tongue, the words slip past his lips.

"You're so beautiful"

And to add to his already palpitating heart, Taehyun's cheeks paint with rosy red blush, the blonde bashfully whips his head away.

"Thanks….um…. you too, pretty-I mean beautiful um...err…. yeah"

Taehyun is looking anywhere but at Kai, struggling to form proper sentences just from a single compliment he's heard a billion times over from various people, just because it came from Kai.

Everything is different, much special when it comes from Kai.

Kai chuckles at the turn of events, and he was supposed to be the shy one.

"Let's go we're gonna be late and my parents are probably wondering where I am" Taehyun quickly states and gets off the bed in a hurry, his face still vibrant red.

On the contrary, he did get scolded hard for his reckless tale of crossing windows two storey up, because Taehyun wouldn't be caught dead lying to his parents.

His dad is mostly amazed while his mom nearly blanches out and has a heart attack halfway through his retelling.

That particular 2am adventure earned him a mild punishment of two weeks of grounding, it wasn't all that bad since Kai is there to keep him company, sharing conversations by their windows.

"Don't ever do that again" Kai reminds him to which Taehyun laughs, a mischievous smirk on his lips.

"I technically did not fall, so that means chances are I can do it without falling to my death or at best case scenario, a broken leg is—"

"No!"

_

The day of the competition seems to skid by too soon, before Kai knows it, he's having a nervous breakdown behind the curtains of a changing cubicle backstage.

His hands are trembling as much as he is sweating, the air backstage with the other competitors is jarringly high with tension. Thank the news of some representative from a big music academy from Seoul central is part of the judging panel for that.

Now everyone crowded back there is aiming to impress with hopes to maybe get an offer, not Kai though. The boy is hugging himself while curled up on the floor, back against the mirror, his eyes glassy with threatening tears.

Goddammit, he just wants to be able to play through his piece without fucking up.

Kai has been on the receiving end of several questioning or judgmental looks the moment he stepped into the backstage waiting room. Being practically invisible at school and keeping only to himself (and Taehyun), nobody could've guessed he'd enter, nobody ever knew he played.

Some are curious while others are wary because no one gathered in that waiting room knows what he's capable of.

Every mind resorting to wonder, is he just another trier they don't have to worry about, or is he a sudden black horse, a foreseeable threat to their chances of winning.

Either way, there's not much if there's anything at all that he could do.

Kai somehow manages to drag himself out to sit silently with the others gathered, trying to just go over the memorized chords in his head as a distraction, fate has doomed him as the last to go.

And the jittering anxiousness and pressure just double with each turn of a competitor. Elegant and energetic notes keep coming, choruses of applause, it does not help that he's struggling to not remember, to shove away _that_ memory into the dark part of his mind.

But it keeps forcing its way to the center of his headspace, replaying the nightmare of a memory like a broken record with images too vivid and daunting.

The humiliation, the disappointed looks, the voices, it's all coming back to him so suddenly.

Kai feels a great urge to get up and run away, forget this whole stupid idea, he can't do this.

But then he remembers, who is lying out there in the crowd waiting for him with all his other family members.

And that made him drill his foot down to the floor, refusing to let himself give in to the demons in his head and chicken out, and wait for the staff in charge to call his name.

"Last contestant, Huening Kai please step onto the stage"

And off he goes, despite the obvious tremor in each step he takes.

He bows to the audience, eyes quickly scanning the room only for his heart to plummet to the core of the earth.

_'W-where…. where is he….?'_

Taehyun isn't in the relatively small audience, there's no sign of the blonde boy anywhere.

Instantly, he is overcome with unsettling anxiety, his shaking posture is obvious enough but Kai is downright trembling with his eyes wide and fearful even as he awkwardly sits on the stool, adjusting the height.

The boy's mind is blank, it's impossible, he can't do this, not without Taehyun.

His fingers are above the black and white tiles yet he can't press a key, he couldn't do a damn thing because Taehyun isn't there, and Taehyun holds all his reasons to even be where he is now. A loud screech in his head demanding for the boy to show up at once, he has to or Kai will break.

Kai can feel the impatient glares of the judges, but his mind is crumbling apart and he feels as though he's going to start crying from the intensity of the situation, the weight that's squashing his weak self is getting almost unbearable.

Why isn't Taehyun here, he _promised_ to be here.

Taehyun is supposed to stay by his side through it all, he's supposed to be a constant that Kai can depend on, Kai's permanent.

Yet he's not even here for Kai when he needs him the most.

Kai is about to get up and sprint, he is near to sobbing his eyes out from the many pairs of eyes on him, probably quietly judging him. His chest is suffocatingly tight and his heart is tremendously ready to give away.

Kai trusted him— _loved_ him, but Taehyun is just another Taemin.

He left, and Kai now has to pick himself up from the dust again.

Kai clenches his teeth, droplets of tears dripping on the skin of his hand, he almost stood up but—

"KAI!!"

His head snapped up so fast at the sound, eyes unblinking and wide, at the figure who just appeared next to the stage behind the curtains but very much in front of Kai's line of vision.

There he is, he came.

Taehyun is here, he didn't leave Kai.

The boy is panting, back bent over his knees breathless and disheveled. Blond hair messy from the obvious way he must have been running, oddly he is wearing a black button-up and dress pants.

There's a redness to his eyes when he looks up, but he still gives Kai a gentle smile of encouragement even with his body relying entirely on the beam next to the stage to keep him standing.

"You can do this" he mouths, nodding his head which makes the mop of blonde on his head bouncing along, a smile that although genuine, is strained on his lips.

Just like that, the world around him vanishes and quiets down, leaving him only with Taehyun. In that distance between Kai who is at the center of the stage, and Taehyun who hangs by the side.

Oddly, it feels like their nightly routine.

Kai's fingers start to move, he plays the notes of Beethoven Sonata No.11, Op.22 that he can always recall bouncing off the keys of his piano back at home, he thinks not of the audience or the panel of judges.

No, right now in that still moment, it's just him and Taehyun, under the moon and stars, accompanied by the melodies of piano.

Kai plays, he plays thinking of Taehyun who is on the other side of his window, probably cramming over his algebra formulas. Thinking how the boy would peek and sometimes they would make eye contact and blush.

He plays and the tears that dripped down his face are no longer of pain but relief.

Once he reaches the final note, Kai breathes out a breath he does not realize he's been holding. His chest rising and falling at an unsteady pace, but the sound of thundering applause filling the auditorium has him looking down at the audience with shock.

He did it, he played till the end and made not a single mistake.

Kai could make out his parents' proud grinning faces in the crowd, his sisters whooping out whistles at him. The judges looking aghast yet very satisfied with him, one of them is even standing up as he claps.

A rush of lightness and maybe even pride fills him, Kai takes a bow to the audience and is about to rush for Taehyun.

Except, he's not there anymore.

Puzzled, Kai makes his way backstage, looking around for his blonde-haired neighbor. But to no avail, Taehyun is nowhere back there either.

Where did he go?

Kai steps out of the auditorium, they're on a short break for the judges to decide the winners. His parents and sisters greet him warmly with a huge hug, showering him with praises.

But not a sight of the boy he's been looking for.

"Thank you everyone, but…... where's…. Taehyun? He was there just now while I was playing" somehow, Kai could immediately catch onto the sudden shift of air around them.

From the way the smiles on their faces completely drop, the thinning lips and unsure gazes. Something is wrong, even the thought of Taehyun, disoriented when he arrived has proved something isn't right.

"He…. Kai ah, Taehyun has to rush back to the funeral"

The gravity of those words is as heavy as being pressed down by an unimaginable weight, Kai's eyes go frantically wide with horror and worry.

Black top to bottom, the reddening eyes, the disheartened face he wore.

"Wh-what happened?" He mutters, afraid for what he's about to hear. His dad places a hand on his shoulder, giving his son a sorrowful look. The man himself heard the news only a couple hours ago while waiting for Kai's turn.

"His dad passed away this morning Kai, he met an accident on the way to work"

All at once, there's a stinging crack aching in Kai's mind, the boy feels torn at how selfish he had been acting. Here he is being such a pathetic brat who couldn't even play without Taehyun somewhere near him, ready to blame Taehyun for leaving him.

Kai assumed Taehyun is the same as Taemin at some point of his inner turmoil on stage, someone who selfishly left him when Taehyun is anything but that, he's the furthest thing from Taemin.

Kai is disgusted with himself.

For god's sake, the boy probably rushed here in the midst of his own father's funeral because he _knew_ , Taehyun knew Kai depended on him to play, expected to see him, and would feel crushed upon realizing he wasn't there.

Taehyun knows Kai needs him there, and wouldn't be able to do it without him being there.

And sweet selfless Taehyun, even while he's still processing the death of his dear father, still thought of him, prioritizing Kai over his own self.

He came, maybe just for a short while to ensure Kai could go on, putting a strong facade for Kai.

Taehyun is giving his all and more for Kai and he dares accuse Taehyun of leaving him.

Dear gods, how could've he have been so foolishly selfish?

"Kai?"

The boy looks up to meet Taehyun's much swollen and redder eyes, the boy still in his all-black clothing, red angry irritated marks on his face from crying but shocked upon seeing his neighbor perched on his doorstep.

He's been waiting, sitting on Taehyun's doorstep for the blonde to return from the funeral, he jumps up to his feet, apology ready on his lips.

"Taehyun I'm—"

Instead, he gets Taehyun tackling him into a tight embrace, his body trembling with grief and going lax in Kai's arms. Kai feels a sharp pain cutting through his heart at the first broken sob he hears from the boy.

In all their few months of friendship, Taehyun has never cried, he's never shown his vulnerable side. So, when that strong figure who brightens up his life begins to weep, his cries quiet yet filled with anguish, body unable to hold himself up.

Kai told himself, he has to be the stronger person this time. For Taehyun, who has been strong for him even through his lowest.

The pianist holds him, he holds the boy up in his arms, and presses their bodies together.

Taehyun's aching sobs echoing I'm his ears and he hates it; he hates that this person he's come to treasure is hurting and all he could do was watch and hope his presence and touch could help.

They can't stay on Taehyun's doorstep the entire time with the boy himself still in his funeral clothes so Kai carefully pushes Taehyun away for a moment only to pick him up into his arms bridal style, the boy still deep in his grief does not utter a word and simply lets him.

Kai has a bigger build and while he doesn't exercise as often, he is frankly strong in terms of strength, the pianist carries the boy into his house instead, bringing the boy up to his bedroom, the other Huenings keep their gazes away out of respect.

Taehyun has his ears pressed against Kai's chest, listening to the taller's steady heartbeat. His mind is a mess, disarray with mauling emotions layered on top of each other.

Some part of him is still unable to believe his father is gone, even though he has seen the body being lowered down in the casket and covered over with earth, it's still too unimaginable.

Kai places Taehyun on his bed, and he moves to leave to fetch some things but Taehyun's hands grips tightly onto his forearm.

"Don't go, please" he begged, and it breaks Kai's heart for the millionth time that day because this is the same person who threw him a thumbs up hours ago when he nearly had a meltdown in front of everyone.

"I won't, Taehyun I'm never leaving you. Ever" he assures him determinedly, but Taehyun shakes his head wildly at his proclamation, sobs wrecking through his shaking body.

The blonde boy finally looks at him in the eye, and in those orbs that are heavy with grief of loss, he finds traces of guilt.

"I'm sorry" he chokes, "I'm so s–so sorry Kai" and it's leaving Kai in a dumbfounded state, the apology taking him back.

"What? Why are you apologizing? I should…...I should be the one to apologize, I... I still expected you to be there when you... you're facing this…" he explains, his bigger hands taking Taehyun's after putting his phone down once he could text his sister to bring up some tissues and water for Taehyun.

"No…. Kai I broke my promise"

Kai smiles at him, pulling him into another hug with his fingers running through the blonde strands of Taehyun's hair. "You didn't, you came, you came despite…. Taehyun, you didn't"

But the boy only sobs harder, his hands letting go of Kai to fist the pianist's shirt, his face scrunching as if he's under extreme pain.

Because he is, he'll be tearing Kai along with himself with his next words.

"Kai……. I…...I have to move back to Gwangju"

True to fate's irony and much to Kai's currently shattering heart, nothing, not back then and not even now, is permanent for him.

"No…...no you can't…...you can't go" the words pour out before he could even think them through, his mindset ablaze because Taehyun can't leave, he has to stay, Kai needs him.

It's selfish beyond words but he doesn't care, Taehyun can't go, he just can't.

"I'm sorry…... I'm sorry" the whimper vibrating against his shoulder anchors Kai back to his senses, and his stomach lurches with an ugly feeling.

Why was he so full of himself that he cared only about his own desires?

Taehyun is crying, breaking apart, and wearing himself down physically and mentally over the loss of one of his parents, a pillar of support in his life, and yet some part of him still is able to spare a thought for the promise he made to Kai.

To feel guilty over something that is beyond his control.

Taehyun isn't Taemin, because the one acting like Taemin isn't him but Kai.

"I'm sorry" the blonde boy keeps whispering because his throat is dry and hurting, Kai takes one deep shuddering breath.

"Don't be, it's not your fault"

But Kai refuses to be Taemin.

Leah drops by to give the boys some drinks and snacks along with tissues. Kai assists Taehyun in washing up and changing into one of his hoodies and sweatpants, after which his face looks marginally better.

Taehyun confirms that his mother is being comforted by another relative at the funeral and he just so happens to mindlessly call an Uber to take him home because of his denial.

The pianist shove whatever selfish thoughts he has and focus on caring for the grieving boy, a cup of water and biscuit pack later, he lets Taehyun lay on his bed cuddling one his plushie, suggesting that he rest and nap if he can.

The boy is drowning in the hoodie two sizes too big on him, most of the creases of stress and red tear marks are gone but the boy is still in a stupor as if his mind is trapped in a limbo, a protective response to the tragic news that is starting to settle in his head.

"Can't sleep……. too loud…" comes a whimper, Kai supposed he was referring to his mind, he could only imagine what Taehyun must be feeling. He thought of if he lost his own dad, and Kai shakes the thought at once.

Losing a parent is a dread no child should ever go through, it's akin to cutting off one string of a swing, one can only try their best to hold on to what is left.

Sitting by Taehyun's laying body, Kai attempts to console the boy with some soothing touches, rubbing circles on his back and massaging his head but alas Taehyun still couldn't fall asleep but his body gradually relaxes.

Kai heavily exhales a breath, wishing he could do and provide more than just helplessly watching Taehyun suffer. His eyes trailing to the things in his room, recalling the few changes ever since Taehyun stepped into his life in just a span of a few months.

There's the violin case of Kai's own old violin leaning against the wall next to his study desk, he had brought it out of the attic to occasionally help Taehyun learn.

There's the collection of photo strips of the two of them together that one field trip a couple weeks after their meeting, Kai remembers how shy he had been to scoot closely in the photo booth.

There's the little keychain hanging from his bag, a gift from Taehyun of a particular hang out at the arcade, and the pink dolphin music note book on his piano. He remembers the two of them getting those matching books, the boy's own book is a lilac dolphin.

Kai's gaze fixates on the piano, suddenly he has an idea of how he could help Taehyun rest. The tall boy makes his way over to the stool and sits himself down, he traces his fingertips over the keys and starts playing a soft slow tune, Gymnopédie No. 1 by Erik Satie.

Upon hearing the notes of piano, mixed harmony that may sound off but actually blends well together, Taehyun feels himself letting out a deep exhale, the notes of piano feel serene as it travels the room and colors the air with a soft ambiance.

His eyes slowly flutter close to the melody, chest no longer heaving harshly but a steady rise and fall, taking a quick glance at the boy again Kai smiles with content, continuing on with the remaining notes of the piece.

With Taehyun now asleep, he feels more at ease that the boy is finally getting some rest.

As he reaches the last note Kai rests his fingers on the monochrome tiles, the thought of Taehyun moving back to his hometown comes forth to his mind again.

More than anything, Kai wants to object, he wants to yell and loudly express his disagreement because the thought of Taehyun being out of reach is terrifying.

That's too far away, and Kai is much too attached.

But who is he to decide that? He's just the neighbor kid who plays the piano.

Kai steps out of his room and makes his way down to the living room, thinking he should leave to let Taehyun sleep. However, he meets the sight of a distraught Mrs. Kang comforted by his mother in the living room, the woman whipping her head up at him upon his arrival.

"Kai, is Taehyun alright? I…. I should've…...paid more attention to him, I didn't even realize" caught up in her own emotions, she has subconsciously neglected her child, the weight of the death of her partner throwing her completely off-kilter.

Kai nods "He's sleeping" he sums up an answer, she doesn't need to hear the other details just yet, Kai can tell the now-widowed mother is bearing a lot of sudden responsibilities on her shoulders.

However, Kai can't help but catch a bit of her conversation with his mother, "You'll be moving back to Gwangju then?" there's a silent pause before a continuation.

"My online job wouldn't be able to support us, not with Seoul living finances. I have no choice but to move back there to my parents' house for the time being…...God Jina, I don't know…...I don't know what to think"

And neither did Kai, as much as he doesn't want Taehyun to leave, it simply can't be helped.

They will move out by the end of the week, meaning he has seven—No, not even seven days, just mere four days, 96 measly hours before Taehyun leaves him.

Ironically Kai and his family lend a hand to the remaining Kangs to pack up for their move, seeing Taehyun down in the slumps, he doesn't even try to hide the lassitude hanging over his being.

It's like someone stole the shine in his big round orbs and left an empty void that would take time to heal.

He pulled out of Hanlim and spent the remaining days in Seoul moping in his room. "Hey…… how are you doing?" Kai visits him every day after school, skipping over while still in his uniform at times.

Providing him company though he feels no energy to respond most of the time, but truly grateful for Kai's presence, an anchor that keeps him steady through this particularly harsh storm.

He nods with a hum, body sagging by the window pane on the bed he has yet to take apart.

A thick leather photo album clutched in his arms, Kai wears a frown at him while he too is unsure what to do or say, never the one to take the lead in interactions, that has always been Taehyun's forte.

But the boy he knows is slowly fading away, leaving this shell of a person with Taehyun's face and name.

Supposed that Taehyun thought his father is a constant in his life, a permanent that'll always be his.

He is the only child of the two, so the bond he has with his parents is the compensation for never knowing what it's like to have siblings. Kai has a fairly good relationship with his own family members but it doesn't come close to what Taehyun has with his parents.

But even a human's life is temporary like all things are. Everything seems to have an expired date stamped on it, the difference being some could be seen and we could prepare ourselves for the inevitable but others are hidden and fate knows.

Kai sits on the bed next to Taehyun, the boy's blank face reminds him of himself when he had been isolating himself from human Interactions.

How ironic it is that their roles are reversed now, with Kai taking the wheel, guiding Taehyun along with him.

"Taehyun, do you… wanna do something? You're leaving tomorrow…... maybe one last hang out…. before you go?" Kai suggests as he bites his lips while awaiting an answer.

Taehyun turns to look at him, there's a bit of an emotion that Kai can't pinpoint, yet it's gone in a blink of an eye, "Do what?" The voice that he remembers used to be so lively and bright is now but a hoarse whisper.

"We can…. Go to the arcade?"

Silence, Taehyun stares back at him emotionlessly as if he couldn't comprehend the words he's being told.

"Don't wanna…. go anywhere…." He mutters, hugging the photo album in his hold tighter. Kai nods at the statement, pushing away the disappointment to the back of his mind.

He's got a few hours left and he's done nothing but sits by Taehyun quietly and does nothing.

The room is mostly tidied up, they'll disassemble the bed and smaller furnishings tomorrow, the moving truck will be there to pick them up and go by afternoon.

Kai takes a deep breath and carefully places one palm over Taehyun's leg "Hey Taehyun, I know, it's not a good time…. but you're leaving tomorrow….so I think…...I think I have to say this now"

There's a voice in Kai's head, small but screaming at him to stop, to abandon whatever ship he just boarded because now is not the time.

But if not now, then when? When will he get to hold the boy in his arms again, will they even meet each other after this? Would what they have remained just as it is, even then...?

There's no absolute certainty in those odds, thus why he'll say this now, chuck it off his chest, and be done with it.

Kai grabs Taehyun's hands, the other boy still not giving him any much of a response, too grief-stricken to compute his surroundings, it has only been days since the funeral and the wound is still very fresh in his mind.

"Taehyun, I won't be there to send you off tomorrow…... I'm sorry but I can't…. I can't be there to see you off, because if I do, I might try to make you stay and that's unreasonable, I know…...but…. it’s just…." His words are spiraling all over the place but the sudden locking gaze with Taehyun tells him that the other is listening.

"You…... you're special to me, you know? I've never…… I've never wanted to be with someone…. forever…... until I met you. I wanted so badly for us to be together, to be permanent but I know it's a childish wish"

He's rambling, that's a first for Kai. He's sure he's said more words in the past 10 minutes than the entirety of his middle school life.

"I think…... I'm…. sure…. that I love you, I love you for the way you made me smile, how you gave me…. courage….and I love you for sticking by me all this time. I love every laugh and giggle, every word that spills from your mouth."

Kai nearly panics when there are tears cascading down the pretty face, he pulls Taehyun into his embrace and cradles the boy.

He has to keep going or he'll never be able to get it all out.

"I love you so much that…. that I don't know if I could handle you leaving so suddenly. That I want to be selfish and force you to stay, but I won't…... because you would be hurt and above all…... I think I love you too much to see you hurting badly like this"

Taehyun's trembling hands are fisting the shirt of his Hanlim uniform so hard it might just rip, his face buried deep into the crook of Kai's neck.

"I did love you too…… for a while…. you're all I wanted and more……." His voice raspy but audible enough for Kai to hear, and those words making Kai's heart leap with each passing second.

"But…...but I'm sorry Kai…...now I don't even remember……...what love feels like"

That hurts, Kai never thought of how much a rejection could hurt, he probably should have taken it into account also because it stings, it's a sharp pierce that is now bleeding through his heart.

It's not even a full rejection, the unexpected tragedy has messed with Taehyun's emotions thus his system is in disarray, he's in no sane headspace to be focusing on his harbored feelings.

"It's okay…...you can always learn again, it's like…... your violin, you forgot most of it but after relearning it again, you play better than ever" he pats the boy's back, soothing the boy while nursing his own broken heart.

Holding back his own tears because this isn't the time, this isn't about him, it's about Taehyun.

"If you can relearn to play the violin, you can learn to love again as well……."

Taehyun breathes out a shuddering breath at the affirmation, his tensed body relaxing once more.

In his own unexplainable way, Kai has always made him feel safe. Their time together wasn't long, perhaps shorter than the typical friendships, but whatever grew between them in that little time is as strong as the rare precious diamonds.

"Thank you" he whispers, this time in a much stable voice. Everything so far has been going up in flames in multiple ways at once, things being ripped from their palms before they could even give a say.

But they have each other, and that's enough.

"Thank you Kai, for everything…."

Taehyun sleeps to the tune of a piece by Mozart that night, it'll be the last song he hears Kai play because there'll be no more nights like this one after he moves the next day.

He listens to the fluidness of the melody, how it flows with elegance yet so sadly like a song wishing goodbye.

And as Kai told him the previous day, he will not be there to send Taehyun off, the boy holds his violin case in his arms, watching solemnly as his mother exchanges hugs and goodbyes with the Huenings.

"We'll keep in touch; you have our numbers. Take care Taehyunnie" Leah tells him, ruffling his hair while he musters up a small smile for her.

"We're going to miss you being here, now who's gonna third wheel those three?!" Bahiyyih exclaims, Taehyun has to momentarily try to process what she was implying only for him to remember that recently as well, Soobin was welcomed into Yeonjun and Leah's relationship.

They were more like three lovers featuring two friends than an actual friend group, two since Kai only stuck around Taehyun.

Taehyun stares up at the house he'll be leaving, and his eyes trail towards the red flowing curtains on the second floor. He knows Kai is at home, tucked away in his bedroom. Kai already said his goodbyes yesterday but not Taehyun.

He has yet to say his piece and at once, he doesn't think he could leave until he does.

"Ta-Taehyun? Did you leave something?" his mother questions seeing him rushing back in the house in a hurry, it's the most emotions he's felt since his father's death, an urgency for this last goodbye but only till next time.

"I have to do something first!" He shouts back, Taehyun frantically runs up the stairs with the violin case still hugged close to his heaving chest. The adrenaline kicking in hard after days of being a walking talking corpse himself.

He feels, alive, for the least to say.

Like his awareness of his sense of his existence just caught up to him after forcibly being pressed to a pause by the unfortunate tragedy.

Taehyun slams the door to his room now is his former room he supposed would be more accurate. He places the violin case down and takes out the instrument, positioning himself in front of the window to his bedroom, and starts to play.

The smooth tune of his violin playing _'Gavotte'_ fills the silence that blankets his room, he drags the bowstring much skillfully now.

Hitting all the notes he's supposed to hit and even if his body feels as though it could crumble down by the sheer gravity of the emotions plunging him from every side, Taehyun stands steady on his feet and keeps on playing.

Just as he is nearing the middle of the melody, a mess of brown hair pokes his head out of the window across his own, there Kai is, wearing a shocked look. His face is as messy as his hair with the red-rimmed eyes obvious from crying, mouth slightly agape at the blonde boy.

But he's surprised to see Taehyun still in his room, playing his violin no less. The blonde boy is smiling at him, a soft small curve on his lips yet it feels healing, and almost magically, Kai's hurting heart stops stinging at the sight.

But by the middle of the melody, Taehyun stops the song, putting his bowstring down and gives one last grin to the other.

"I played that halfway, I'll come back to finish playing the song one day, until then. Wait for me!" He breathes out in one breath, feeling the rush in his chest and the hope hanging above his head.

He doesn't want to think of the bad what-ifs, he'll just focus on the positive ones, and his intuition says Kai is not leaving his life anytime soon, he won't allow it.

"Keep in touch with me Kai…... I'll come back one day" he finishes, the promise in his voice evident.

Kai, dumbstruck by the boy's somewhat unexpected farewell, leans slumped against the window, he wipes his tears away and begins to nod at the other. With arms around him, giggles bubbling from his lips at the wishful dreams.

Meeting again, that would be nice.

A part of his mind is still doubtful of it, in fact, Kai had contemplated minutes ago if he should forget Taehyun entirely and pretend the last few months of his life hadn't existed. He could block and delete his number saved on his phone so there'll be no connection left, they could go on as strangers and never have to bear the pain of longing.

(Absurd, utterly absurd of him to even think it was possible to erase Taehyun from any part of his life.)

But now, with the boy slightly woken up from his grief, gazing into his longing orbs so expectantly with determination.

That alone is enough to get Kai into having hope, a small little inkling of hope that one day, they can hold each other in their arms once more.

"I'll be waiting" he gasps out, the back of his hand rubbing the remnant of his tears away.

Taehyun did promise Kai to come to his piano competition, and by hook or by crook, the boy tears his way through and kept the promise, as painful as it was.

While trying not to think of the fact Taehyun is going away, blocking out the rumbling sound of the moving truck, Kai raises an arm and waves, but it's not really a goodbye, there's no saying goodbye to Taehyun.

_'Until next time'_

Taehyun puts away his violin and makes his way down the stairs again, content with how things are. He rests his head back on the car seat, his hand fiddling with a silver note keychain attached to his violin case's zipper, a gift he discovered yesterday that Kai must have left without saying anything.

"What did you have to do back then?" his mother asks to break the bubble of awkward silence in the car, truthfully, they haven't got to sit down and comfort each other yet about the sudden passing. But that's a conversation for another time when the two of them are ready.

Taehyun snickers lightly, with his fingertips tracing the edges of the music note, "I had to leave something behind so that one day I had to come back for it," he responds softly, thinking of that piece of him that he left in that room.

_'Just wait for a bit, Kai'_

_

"Are you sure you have everything? Toothbrush? Socks? Your three molangies?" Kai viciously nods at his mother, beckoning at the clearly fully packed luggage that he's trying to close. Two other bags lay on his bed.

"Yes mom, I got them all" he huffs, still pressing himself down on the luggage in a struggle to zip it close, but Mrs. Huening giggles and holds up a light pink dolphin in her hands. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

Kai yelps and makes his way across his bedroom in three strides, taking the plushie into his arms to cradle it.

"Endolphin! I almost left you?!" he exclaims frantically, the plushie arrived at his doorsteps last year on his 18th birthday courtesy of a boy in Gwangju.

Kai carefully places the dolphin stuffed toy on his drawer where he could see it before going back to packing, he's leaving home to move into his college dorm to which he still can't believe he's made it this far.

The last three years have been an eventful ride, after Taehyun moved back to Gwangju Kai has a mini-episode of moping over the loss of his close companion, eventually, they are able to accustom themselves to the virtual means of communication.

Kai has spent countless hours on his phone texting, calling and even video calling with Taehyun, sure it doesn't feel the same as having Taehyun actually be by his side but it'll do.

It's too bad over the course of these 3 years they couldn't find the right time to meet up, there's always something hindering them, busy lives and clashing schedules.

But both boys cling to what they have anyway, savoring what they could because life will always be that ever-changing rhythm, make things last and live without regrets.

**Tyunnie <3**

You're leaving today right?

Stay safe and have fun

I will!!

How is college life for you?

Meh it’s okay

WHAT am I excited for nothing then -_-

Haha don't worry, i think you'll fit just fine

Kai's lips curve up slightly at the messages, Taehyun has a much earlier admission to his college than he is so he was living the campus life for a few months now, strangely he never tells Kai which college exactly did he go to, just that he's taking IT engineering.

"Kai ah, your friend Jay is here to see you!!" Kai pockets his phone at Bahiyyih's call, already maneuvering down the stairs in minutes.

When one says with time, a person can change, Kai didn't think it's possible to change too much.

But then he becomes his own proof of how much one can change in a little over three years, not only has he grown taller and broader just like his dad.

But he somehow managed to drag himself out of that defensive wall and put himself out there, forming friendships with other individuals other than his family and his sister's two boyfriends.

After that piano competition, his talent attracted many eyes towards him, the piece he played wasn't that of a beginner or intermediate but one that is high in difficulty and requires solid skills.

He didn't win a place or score any study offers but the garnered attention pushed him into competing in more competitions.

Kai grew, beautifully and magnificently. From that scarred 13-year-old who closed people off, tremendously shy and held little to no confidence in himself to this bright young adult, cheery and adored by any eyes that lay on him.

Often, Kai wondered if Taehyun changed a lot too.

Kai meets Jay in his living room, puzzled at the frown on his face "So dude uh I'm sorry but there's a bit of an issue with my dad's car so I can't help send you, I'm so sorry" Kai chuckles at him, it wasn't exactly huge issue per se.

He could always just call the admission office ahead to tell him he'll be running a little late due to transportation problems. Kai guesses he has to wait for his dad to return home from work before he could go then.

"It's alright, I was grateful that you offered anyway" he assures the other boy, a few more apologies later, Kai is back in his room.

The place is a lot tidier, most of the knick-knacks on his shelves are packed and tossed in the attic, but his piano still remains where it is.

Kai smiles and walks over to the instrument, pressing down on the keys with his fingers. He'll miss playing this particular piano, one that holds a lot of special memories with a boy he loves. Ignoring the notification buzz from his phone, Kai pulls the stool out and sits down.

He has time to kill anyway so why not play this piano while still can before he leaves, Kai reaches on top of the large instrument, a pink dolphin notebook in his hands.

He flips through the pages and comes across a variation he wrote down some time ago of.

The piece Taehyun played and never finished before he left.

Kai hums to himself before setting the book up, and reading along with the notes while his hands press down on the keys, he closes his eyes and tries to recall the sound of the violin, the melody flowing from the piano naturally.

The boy is so immersed in the notes that the sound of the violin sounds so vividly real to his ears as he keeps playing, it's almost like Taehyun was actually there playing it with him.

Kai reaches the midpoint where Taehyun had stopped, his fingers pause.

The tall boy feels his entire body freezing to a halt, the sound of violin playing the piece does not stop there, it continues with the following notes, the soft elegant music not ceasing.

But that's not possible, Taehyun never played beyond that mark so how could he hear him play in his head right now?

Unless………. he isn't imagining the tune.

Kai's head snaps towards his window, where he can clearly make out where the tune is coming from, the red curtains are slightly flowing with the wind. He almost throws himself at the windowpane, wanting to lean out and look into the window right across his own that is supposed to be empty right now, and see the blonde-haired boy he's been missing.

But there's a fearful doubt, it could as well be his own mind playing tricks on him.

Yet what if it's not, what if, on the other side, he'll see Taehyun standing there playing his violin, real and there where he can reach out and touch him.

Suddenly he reaches into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out his phone, there on the screen is a notification of an unread text message from Taehyun from only a couple minutes ago.

The boy frankly feels his breath coming to a hitch, chest tightening so badly that he's sure the suffocation could bring him to tears.

**Tyunnie <3**

Curtains still red it seems

I wonder what else remains unchanged

Kai slowly gets up from the stool, rising to his feet, and walks towards the opened window. With a deep breath, and a heart full of hope he peers out of the square frame.

It's like the world around him decided to pause in his favor, because on the other side, in the window frame that's been shut for the past three years and now thrown wide open.

Stands Kang Taehyun, violin perch underneath his chin with his hand dragging the bowstring fluently with his eyes pressed shut in focus.

Kai stares because the sight itself is almost too good to be true. His hands rubbing his eyes after a few seconds, trying to confirm that he isn't hallucinating anything.

The boy all but chokes on air with his mouth slam across his lips, there's a brief second where he's sure he stopped breathing entirely.

He's seconds away from bursting out in tears, but he can't even get his voice to say something.

And then, Taehyun’s eyes flutter open and their gazes meet, two pairs of eyes locked on each other almost in a trance.

Those warm deep brown eyes are exactly the way he remembered, Taehyun finishes the song and brings his instrument down, throwing Kai a huge smile.

Kai can see his physique changed a lot as well, Taehyun still has his petite waist but with him wearing a literal crop top, Kai feels his face heating up at the sight of toned abs.

He has a sharper jawline and his hair now a bright red, but all the same, he still looks like the Taehyun he knows.

"T-Taehyun?" Kai gasps out, the whole situation still feels surreal to be true. Taehyun chuckles at his shocked demeanor, placing down his instrument to walk up to the window, leaning on the edge with a smirk.

Puberty did him too much justice, has Taehyun always been so handsome. Kai feels like a whiplash has sent him back 3 years in time and he's a flustered high schooler with an obvious crush again, all those feelings, the tingles, and butterflies are suddenly back and tenfold stronger.

"Hi old neighbor"

Taehyun winks at him, brushing back his red hair which edges Kai to think he's doing it on purpose because Kai is certain he's put tomatoes to shame with his current face. The taller male certainly did not remember the other boy being so bold, maybe Taehyun did change a lot too.

Before he could say anything else however, Taehyun is already swinging his leg up and climbing his window frame, and god does Kai remember this familiar scene far too clearly to not know what he's doing. His worry is already activated the moment Taehyun decides to place one foot on the window pane.

"No Taehyun wait-" the sentence is cut off by Taehyun launching himself at him, the boy's body crashing into Kai from the jump and sends them both down to the floor with a thud. The two moans out in pain at the impact, Taehyun laying on top of Kai.

"Told you….my probability calculations were accurate…." Kai hears the mumble from the body above him, he blinks his eyes open to see Taehyun gazing down at him, a playful yet sheepish grin stretched on his lips.

"And I told you not to do it again you smartass" he captures the boy above him into a tight hug, feeling the warmth of Taehyun's body against his own, his hands running through the mop on red on his head, feeling each strand brush against his fingers.

He's real, Taehyun is really here. He finally came back, at last.

Taehyun returns the hug, burying himself into Kai's broad frame, breathing in the familiar Downey conditioner scent. He missed this, the way Kai's touches would provide him a sense of comfort, he relaxes in the boy's arms.

Kai has a thousand questions along with a million complaints as to why hadn't Taehyun informed that he's coming to visit, he could've better prepared himself because right now, it's all too sudden.

As of that moment, he wants to do nothing more than to cuddle Taehyun close and not let go because it's been too long, three years too long since he last felt this blissfully warm inside.

"Ready to go? I see you're packed" Taehyun suddenly asks, still, his arms are locked around Kai, not wanting to let go either.

Kai hums, connecting the pieces of information together "I take that you somehow contacted Jay and planned this?" The snort coming from Taehyun simply confirms it, the smaller boy pinches his back for the call out.

"Bahiyyih helped" Taehyun adds, giving credits to when due, "Of course it's her, Leah noona has got her hands full of her own stuff" Kai comments, and they both laugh together falling back into a pile on the floor.

Kai breathes out a long deep breath, Taehyun's face above him, fingers poking his cheeks but Kai can only zeros on the face. Matured and refined over the years, Taehyun is just too outworldly to be true.

"You're even more beautiful" the compliment has Taehyun red in seconds, the bold flirt suddenly no longer in sight, "Says the handsome one himself" his reddened cheeks puff out cutely with a pout.

Kai's falling in love all over again.

They do eventually have to get up and get going, so with much reluctance, Kai and Taehyun pick themselves up from the floor and get to work. Taehyun helps Kai haul his things down, out of the door, and into his car, there isn't much luggage to begin with so they are able to quickly finish up.

Kai finds out that Taehyun hadn't mentioned his college name because it's the same college Kai will be attending, Kai could scream his heart out with happiness at the thought of seeing Taehyun daily again, things are finally turning around for the better.

"What's that smile?" Kai questions, adjusting the last box at the back of the small-sized car belonging to the other.

Taehyun is leaning by the driver seat door, watching Kai work with fond eyes.

While in his eyes is a grown changed person, this is still his Kai.

The very one he used to bear feelings for "I remembered now"

Kai has gone back to his take, humming along to Taehyun's answer "Remember what?"

Suddenly, there's a hand on his own and Taehyun's face is hovering inches away from his.

Kai peers down into those bright round orbs, the other boy's hand caressing down his cheeks gently, his heart flipping inside his ribcage.

"The feeling of love I've forgotten back then"

Kai holds his breath, his hand nearly dropping the folder he was holding. Taehyun then rests his forehead on Kai's shoulder, peeling the object out of his hands to interlock their fingers together.

At that point, Kai doesn't feel himself breathing anymore. But by Taehyun 's next words, he scoops the boy in his arms and cradles him close, there's a grin so huge on his lips he must look crazed to the passersby.

But that doesn't matter, nothing else did. At that moment, it's just him and Taehyun.

"I still love you; would you accept me now Kai?"

There's not a lot of permanence or constants in life, everything is always changing with time and both boys learned that the hard way.

But if there is one thing that they are certain would remain unchanging no matter how long time passed or how much they've aged and grown.

And that is the love they share for one and another, the only permanent that matters.

"Forever and always Taehyun"

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Kang Taehyun so I come with a Tyunning fic! Hope you guys like it ^_^
> 
> Follow me on [twt](https://twitter.com/TyunnieBFF)
> 
> [CC](https://curiouscat.me/TyunnieBFF) if you want to anonymously leave me comments, every comment is appreciated and precious to me~


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